Rosebud the Basset

Tuesday, January 25, 2011: Today one of my students came to me in tears. Initially I assumed she was upset about the grades on her upcoming report card, but I was wrong. She was upset about a dog. Some of my students know I volunteer for The Dog Liberator and come to me about stray neighborhood dogs destined for the county pound. Usually these dogs are pit bulls and pit bull mixes, so I pass, knowing just how difficult it would be – even for TDL – to rehome these poor souls. Instead, I give students the address and phone number of the area’s humane society, a no-kill shelter.

But today was different. This student was crying over a neighbor’s dog that had taken to chasing her (the neighbor’s) horses and was therefore headed for points unknown if she wasn’t gone by the end of the day. Much as they’d like to, the student’s family couldn’t take the dog. I was ready to say “no” and write down the humane society’s information once again when the student showed me a cell phone photo of “Missy.” How could I say no? Staring back at me from beneath several folds of skin and a pair of ridiculously long ears were the saddest basset hound eyes I’ve ever seen … This was the dog guilty of chasing horses?

Fast forward to the end of the school day, and I’m following handwritten directions to a neighborhood several miles from the school. I just couldn’t see allowing that sweet-looking dog to be taken to the county shelter … or worse. My destination was an older singlewide with a dirt yard surrounded by barbed wire fencing. I counted four horses and numerous cats milling around the trailer as I parked and made my way to the front door.

Once I explained who I was and why I was standing on her doorstep, it didn’t take long to convince the dog’s owner to let me take her. Missy, according to her owner, was four-years-old, hadn’t been on flea or heartworm preventative, had an expired rabies tag, and might/might not be spayed (eeek!). The woman said she’d had Missy for a year; the dog had been a gift from a friend. I could see for myself that Missy was overweight (truth is, she was the biggest basset hound I’d ever seen!). I still couldn’t see the dog chasing horses, but her owner insisted that she did. Okay, sure. After a few more minutes of conversation where I gathered as much information as possible about Missy, she and I were off to the vet’s office. I prayed she would be heartworm-free – and that Gisele and Holly had room in the rescue for one more.

At the vet’s office, Missy (now Rosebud) greeted both dogs and people with a friendly wag of her tail and waited calmly until they called us back. I explained Rosebud’s medical history as best I could, and prayed like crazy while Dr. Hendrix completed his examination and we waited for the results of the heartworm test. He verified that she is approximately 4-years-old, has been spayed (yes!), and – miraculously – is heartworm-free! Dr. Hendrix also said that Rosebud, who tips the scales at a hefty 69 pounds – needs to lighten her load by about 15-20 pounds. Who doesn’t, I ask? She has several long scars on her left shoulder that indicate she may have been hit by a car at some point and is missing hair in several tiny spots on her head from ticks being removed. Otherwise, Rosebud appears to be in excellent health and is now current on everything … vaccinations, Heartgard, Comfortis … everything. Huge sigh of relief from me.

So now we’re at home and I’ve just given her a flea bath. Thank God for Comfortis and Adams Flea & Tick Shampoo because poor Rosebud was infested. Her previous owner told me her children slept with the dog. I certainly hope not because I haven’t seen a flea infestation this bad since I rescued Chloe (now Bacardi) from another neighborhood close to my school. It was so bad the bath water turned reddish-brown from the dried blood. Not to worry, though, because Rosebud is resting (read: sleeping) comfortably on the dog bed next to my Jack Russell/whippet mix, no doubt dreaming of her next meal.

Before I forget, here are the basics: Rosebud is both people- and dog-friendly, loves car rides, walks well on a leash, appears to be house trained, is super at the vet’s office, and enjoys simple pleasures like belly rubs and warm baths.